Roll out shelf structure



Dec. 27, 1960 Filed Feb. 21, 1958 s. R. KIMBALL EI'AL ROLL OUT SHELF STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l' I 1 EZEYZTE Dec. 27, 1960 s. R. KIMBALL ETAL 2,966,388

ROLL OUT SHELF STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1958 United States Pate ROLL OUT SHELF STRUCTURE George R. Kimball and Charles R. DOlive, Cedar Falls, and Jerry A. Butler, Waterloo, Iowa, assignors to Chamberlain Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Feb. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 716,608

4 Claims. (Cl. 312-333) This invention relates to improvements in a roll out shelf structure, and more particularly to a roll out article carrier of the nature of a shelf, drawer, or the like, movable into and out of a front opening in a cabinet, the structure being such that an added inward movement of the article carrier results in the same moving forwardly through the opening in the cabinet into position for use, the invention being highly desirable for household refrigerators, although it may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

It has become desirable to facilitate the ease with which articles may be placed in and removed from house hold refrigerators. Foot actuated door trips have been devised so there is no difiiculty for a housewife to open a refrigerator door with her arms laden with commodities. On the other hand, extreme difiiculty has been experienced by a housewife endeavoring to place those commodities on a shelf or in a drawer within the refrigerator. To this end, what might be termed a bump roll out drawer or shelf is highly desirable, where it is only necessary to bump the front edge of the shelf or drawer and it will automatically roll out to its full extent without any pulling or other assistance on the part of the user. Insofar as we are aware, no such structure has been provided heretofore for use in household refrigerators. That, accordingly, is one of the prime objects of the instant invention.

While in the past, various types of bump doors, desk leaves, drawers for sales tables, desks, filing cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and similar articles of furniture have been devised, these have all proven objectionable in the main because when the shelf or drawer was bumped or moved inwardly beyond its normal inward position, it automatically moved outwardly only a slight extent and it was necessary for the operator to grasp it and pull it out to its full extent for use. Such constructions obviously did not solve the problem of automatically moving out a shelf or drawer to a desired extent when the op-' erators hands and arms were laden with articles. Formerly known devices of this character have also proven objectionable due to the fact that the operating mechanism required so much space that the shelf, leaf, drawer, or the like was necessarily reduced in size to an unsatisfactory extent. Consequently, not any of these formerly known structures were suitable for use in a refrigerator or the like, where shelf and drawer space is at a premium.

With the foregoing in mind, it is another important object of the instant invention to provide an automatic roll out shelf or drawer for refrigerators, kitchen cabinets and the like, which upon a bump or slight inward movement beyond normal position, rolls out to the full extent without assistance from the operator.

Another object of the instant invention resides in the provision of an automatic roll out shelf or drawer, highly suitable for household refrigerators and the like, wherein the mechanism for causing the outward movement of the drawer is of minimum size, requires little space, and the shelf or drawer may be made to a close approximation of what its size would be if such mechanism were not incorporated.

Still another feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of an automatic roll out shelf or drawer so constructed that the shelf or drawer is impelled to its fullest outward position without any help from the operator except for a simple inwardly directed jar or bump.

It is also a feature of the invention to provide an automatic roll out shelf or drawer equipped with impelling mechanism, which may be of a character solely responsive to gravity, solely responsive to a preloaded resilient element, or responsive to a combination of both.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an automatic roll out shelf or drawer for a household refrigerator, the construction being such that a portion of the mechanism may be embedded in a wall of the refrigerator compartment, so that the shelf or drawer may be substantially of standard size.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic roll out shelf or drawer construction, wherein the shelf or drawer is retained in normal inward position by latch means, there being simple means provided for releasing the latch, and automatically resetting the latch for engagement upon the next inward movement of the shelf or drawer.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary projectional view of a household refrigerator equipped with roll out shelves, embodying principles of the instant invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken just inside the side wall of the refrigerator cabinet, to illustrate the shelf mechanism in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a view similar in character to Fig. 2, but illustrating the shelf mechanism in a different stage of operation;

Figure 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line IVIV of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is also an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line VV of Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same character as Figs. 2 and 3, but illustrating a slightly different form of structure for the shelf mechanism;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan sectional View of the rear wall of the refrigerator cabinet, illustrating a plan view of the shelf and associated structure; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the same character as Figs. 2, 3 and 6, but illustrating a still different form of structure.

As shown on the drawings:

For illustrative purposes, the instant invention is shown associated with a household refrigerator comprising a cabinet 1, having a front opening 2 therein which is normally closed by a suitable door 3. Between the outer skin and an inner lining suitable insulation of any character may be provided, and the inner lining is shaped to define side walls 44 and a rear wall 5 which define the storage cabinet of the refrigerator.

The instant invention may be in the form of a shelf, tray, drawer, or similar type of article or commodity carrier or container, and these terms are used synonymously herein and in the appended claims. In the illustrated instance, thecarrier is in the form of'a refrigerator shelf comprising a front rail 6, a pair of allochiral side rails 7 and 8, a rear rail 10, and a plurality of parallel rods 11 which form the bottom of the shelf or carrier.

Obviously the siderails7 and 8 andthe rearrail 10 may be made integrally with each other, if: so desired. The particular structure of the shelf isnot critical insofar as the instant invention is concerned, since it may; have a solidbottom or a perforated sheet bottom, as well as the rods- 11, depending upon what may be desired. Preferably, although not necessarily, the shelf is provided with upstanding front and rear guard rails 12 and 13 to eliminate the possibility of articles being accidentally pushed off the front or rear end of the shelf.

On each side wall 4-4 of the refrigerator compartment, a track 14 is mounted which is best seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, and the track seen in these figures is secured to the wall that is not visible in the showing in Figure 1. The track 14 is preferably in the form of a flat strip and has an upstanding flat end portion 15 which supports a ball bearing roller 16. This roller may well be of molded nylon for durability, smoothness of operation, and no need for lubrication. For most of its length, the track 14 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 17 as seen best in Figure 5, and a short distance to the rear of the end projection 15, the end of this flange is upwardly turned as at 18 to form a stop member, limiting the outward movement of the shelf. From the showings particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the forward portion of the track 14 is substantially horizontal, which portion merges into a rearwardly and upwardly inclined part 19, which in turn leads into a short horizontal portion 20 at a higher elevation than the front portion of the track.

The side rail 8 of the shelf is. also preferably in the form of a flat strip vertically disposed, but which has a laterally extending flange 21, on the upper edge thereof. In the rear portion, this flange 21 is preferably horizontal, but in the forward outer portion thereof the flange slopes outwardly and downwardly as indicated at 22,, in keeping with the slope at 19 on the cabinet wall track 14. The flange 21 of the shelf rides the aforesaid roller 16 on the cabinet track. Near the rear end thereof, the side rail 8 carries a roller 23 which may be identical with the aforesaid roller 16, and this roller 23 rides the track flange 17. When the shelf is in its fully outward position, the roller 23 is in contact with the stop member 18. It will, therefore, be apparent that when the roller 23 reaches the sloping portion 19 of the track flange 17, and the sloping portion 22 of the rail flange 21 is on the roller 16, the shelf will gravitate to its full outward position.

Automatically releasable latch means are provided to maintain the shelf in its normal inward position within the cabinet compartment. These means include a latch 24, which may be in the form of a loop of stainless steel wire or the equivalent pivoted to a suitable bracket atfixed to the rear rail 10 of the shelf. The latch 24 pivots vertically, and near the top thereof on one or both sides, the bracket 25 is provided with a stationary detent 26 to temporarily retain the latch in the upwardly pivoted position seen in Figure 3. The bracket 25 may well be made in a single piece of molded nylon or the equivalent.

Latch retaining means which may also be formed as a single block of molded nylon or the equivalent, are secured to the rear wall 5 of the cabinet compartment, and generally indicated by numeral 27. This element 27 is notched in its front end to define a latch retaining projection or hook 28 which engages the latch 24 as seen in Figure. 2, when the shelf is in its normal inward position. Immediately behind or to the rear of the hook 28 is an upwardly inclined edge or surface portion 29, and at the top thereof the element 2'7 is provided with a downwardly turned book 30, which functions as a latch restorer, and it will be noted from the showings in Figures 4, 2 and 3, that the hook 30 is farther out from the cabinet wall 5 than is the latch retaining hook 28.

It will be noted that when the shelf is in its normal inward position, as seen in Figure 2, the sloping portion 22 of the rail flange 21 has not quite reached the forward roller 16, while the rear roller 23 rests upon the flat portion 20 of the track 14. When the shelf is brought inwardly slightly, these flat portionsv remain associated with their respective rollers. Accordingly, upon the release of the latch, it is desirable to have an initial impelling means to start theoutward'movement of the shelf. To this end, a leaf spring 31 may be provided on the rear rail 10 of the shelf, and a curved portion of the leaf spring abutsv the lower front face of the latch retaining element 27 as seen clearly in Figures 2, 3 and 7. With the shelf in its normal inward position, this leaf spring is under compression, or in other words is loaded.

The operation of the instant invention is extremely simple and effective. It is only necessary for the user to push or bump the front rail 6 of the shelf in substantially any manner to move the shelf inwardly slightly beyond its normal inwardposition of Figure 2, to the position seen in Figure 3. As the shelf moves inwardly, the latch 24 rides up the inclined face 29 on the retainer 27 until it is released from the hook 28. The latch is held in that position by the detent 26 on the bracket 25, and the spring 31 immediately forces the shelf outwardly. As the shelf moves outwardly, the latch 24 will strike the depending hook 30 on the retainer and be knocked downwardly from the full line position seen in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position on the other side of the detent 26, so that the latch is automatically reset for subsequent engagement with the hook 28 upon the next inward movement of the shelf. The impetus of the spring 31 is sufficient to cause the shelf to move until the rollers are in contact with the inclined portions 19 and 22 of the track and rail respectively, and the shelf will gravitate to its fully outward position, without any more efiort on the part of the operator than the original push or bump. Proper proportioning of the track and rail inclinations and the strength of the spring 31 results in satisfactory operation of the shelf regardless of whether it is empty or fully loaded.

After the operator has placed articles. upon or removed articles from the shelf, it is a simple expedient to push the shelf inwardly until the latch 24 has again engaged the hook 28.

In Figure 6, all the structure is the same as previously described and operates in the same way. In this instance, however, the rear wall 5 of the cabinet compartment is recessed, as indicated at 32, and the latch retaining element 27 is embedded or inset in that recess. This arrangement provides. more space within the cabinet compartment, and permits the shelf to be proportionately larger in area. As a consequence, the shelf may bev made substantially of the same area as it would be in the event the instant invention were not associated with it.

In Figure 8, we have illustrated a still different form of construction, wherein in lieu of track 14, a track 1411- is used on each interior side wall of the cabinet wall, and from the showing in this figure, it will be noted that the rear portion of this track is upwardly and rearwardly inclined as at 33 to its very end. The forward portion of the shelf rail flange might be similarly fashioned at the part which rides the front roll 16 on the track. In this instance, no impelling means such as the spring 31, is necessary, since upon release of the latch from the hook 28, the shelf will gravitate to its fully outward position without the need of an initial impulse.

It will, of course, be understood that the tracks might be substantially horizontal throughout their lengths and the spring 31 solely relied upon to impel the shelf to its fully outward position, but such is. not as satisfactory as having inclinations on the tracks and side rails of the shelf, particularly when the shelf is heavily laden with articles or commodities. Gravitation provides a gentle and an easy movement of the shelf without any undue shock when the rear rollers 23 contact the stop elements 18. Either arrangement, that of Figures 2 and 3, or that of Figure 8 is equally satisfactory.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that we have provided a novel refrigerator shelf or drawer that is responsive to an inward bump or push to move outward with no more effort on the part of the operator. It will also be especially noted that the instant shelf or drawer moves outwardly to its fullest extent without any assistance from the operator, except for the initial bump or push. The shelf actuating structure takes up only a negligible amount of space, thereby limiting the size of the shelf to be used only to a negligible extent, is economical, highly durable, and effective in operation.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be eflected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a cabinet structure having a front opening, an article carrier movable into and out of the cabinet through said opening, inclined track means in said cabinet for said carrier sloping toward said front opening, a latch on the inner end of said carrier in the form of a pivotal loop and releasable solely by pressing said carrier inwardly from its normal inwardly extended position, a detent to hold said loop in disengaged position, and a latch retainer at the rear of said cabinet comprising a hook for holding said loop to retain the carrier in its normal inner position, and an inclined surface to the rear of said hook over which said latch may ride and be moved to disengaged position upon a further inward movement of said carrier.

2. In a cabinet structure having a front opening, an article carrier movable into and out of the cabinet through said opening, inclined track means in said cabinet for said carrier sloping downwardly from the rear end portion thereof toward said front opening, a latch on the inner end of said carrier in the form of a pivotal loop and releasable solely by pressing said carrier inwardly from its normal inwardly extended position, a detent to hold said loop in disengaged position, and a latch retainer at the rear of said cabinet comprising a hook for holding said loop to retain the carrier in its normal inner position, and an inclined surface to the rear of said hook over which said latch may ride and be moved to disengaged position upon a further inward movement of said carrier, means to urge said carrier outwardly upon release of said latch, said latch being held in disengaged position by said detent when released, and projecting means extending forwardly of said hook to move said latch 01f said detent as said carrier moves outwardly.

3. In combination, a refrigerator cabinet having a front open portion and having parallel spaced inner side walls, a track extending along each inner side wall of said cabinet, a shelf movable into and out of said cabinet along said track and having a rail extending along each side thereof adjacent said track, a wheel on each rail adjacent the rear end thereof and adapted to ride on said track, a wheel on each track adjacent the forward end thereof, said rails each having a lateral top flange supported on the respective track wheel, each said track having a rear generally horizontal portion and a downwardly inclined portion extending forwardly therefrom in front of the respective rail wheel, each said flange having a horizontal forward end portion engaged by the respective wheel when the shelf is in a normal retracted position and having an upwardly inclined portion extending rearwardly therefrom.

4. A refrigerator cabinet in accordance with claim 3, wherein latch means is provided to retain the shelf within the cabinet, wherein means are provided to release said latch means solely responsive to inward pressure on said shelf and wherein spring means is provided to initially project the shelf to ride along said inclined portions of said tracks upon release of said latch means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 406,428 Craig July 9, 1889 485,086 Burt Oct. 25, 1892 759,013 Rawlings May 3, 1904 997,965 Cobb July 18, 1911 1,309,310 Voight July 8, 1919 1,509,780 Robertson Sept. 23, 1924 2,233,796 Pines Mar. 4, 1941 2,564,283 Schallert Aug. 14, 1951 2,620,252 Restivo Dec. 2, 1952 2,667,399 Swimmer Jan. 26, 1954 2,676,863 Cooper Apr. 27, 1954 2,823,090 Roehm Feb. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 702,906 Great Britain Jan. 27, 1954 

